Deshaun Watson — Week 8: 324 Yards, Eight Sacks

Deshaun Watson threw for more yards against the Steelers than in any game this season and still had one of his worst days: 27 of 39 for 324 yards, no touchdowns, no interceptions, sacked eight times, with one strip-sack lost. Over 48 dropbacks he was worth -6.5 expected points added (EPA), what a play was worth given down, distance and field position, -0.14 per dropback. His completion percentage over expected (CPOE), how often he completed passes against what their difficulty predicted, was +3.0; the sacks did the damage.

The costliest of them came tied 0-0 with 10:41 left in the first, second and 7 at midfield. Patrick Queen and Cameron Heyward got to him, Queen knocked the ball out and Keeanu Benton recovered at the Cleveland 45: -5.4 EPA and 12.1 points of win probability, the estimate of each side's chance to win, the largest swing of the game. Pittsburgh scored on the fifth play after it. He had been hurt on the first drive, on a third-down throw that drew a roughing-the-passer penalty, and missed the rest of that drive.

The best throw went nowhere. Down 27-6 early in the fourth, third and 4 at the Pittsburgh 39, he threw deep right to Harold Fannin Jr. for 37 yards to the 2, +4.2 EPA. From there Quinshon Judkins lost 3 and his three throws from the 5 fell incomplete, the last to Denzel Boston on fourth down. Cleveland's last drive reached the 1 with 22 seconds left and did not score.

Through Week 7 he was at +12.4 EPA on 259 dropbacks, +0.05 per dropback, with a CPOE of -0.6 and 25 sacks. The eight matched his Week 5 total against the Jets.

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_Data via nflverse._